Choices
by DoubleL27
Summary: The choices we make affect who we are and who we become. When two old friends meet after taking different paths the differences between them are illustraited, but does any of the past lurk within them both? *One shot complete. Spoilers X2&X3*


I'm still not exactly sure where this came from, but my muse can be odd and I can be its slave. Basically it's a future fic with spoilers from X2 and one from X3. I personally just like the concept, not sure if anyone else will. Anyways, read and review please, as reviews keep me writing. Hope you enjoy.  
  
~*~  
  
Jubilee fingered the leather suit with reverence. This suit was a sign that she had made it, that she belonged. The day she and Kitty had received theirs and had been inducted into the group of X-Men that Professor Xaiver ran was the best day of her life and the biggest honor. It was something that she knew she would never regret.  
  
There had still been something missing, something Jube had never quite figured out until yesterday. It had been St. John. Sure people had come in and taken his place, but he had been a member of her group of friends that had carelessly abandoned them all, abandoned this cause. For what?  
  
It had taken so long for her to realize, because she hadn't been face to face with him until yesterday.  
  
~*~  
  
Excitement coursed through her body. She and Kitty were finally allowed to take a mission on their own. This was like the ultimate sign of faith and trust from Scott. Piotr had of course made several token protests about not being allowed to come with them. Just because he didn't like letting Kitty out of his sight didn't mean he was allowed to interfere and Scott and Jean had agreed to let them go.  
  
Kitty surveyed the area for a minute before turning to Jubilee. "Hey Jubes, I'm going to go around this way, you want to take the other?"  
  
Jubilee looked back at the building and the two alleyways skeptically before returning her gaze back to her friend. "You think we should split up? If anything happens we're never going to be allowed to do things like this again and Peter's going to kill me."  
  
Kitty waved off the statement with a roll of her eyes. "We'll be fine. Scott said this was a 'minor incident' right? I can get to you as quick as possible if I need to, there's nothing to worry about."  
  
Jubilee nodded and shooed Kitty away as she went around her corner. At the end of the alleyway a young man stood over several bags of money, the armored car Jubilee assumed the money had been taken from was on fire.  
  
She walked closer but kicked an old tin can alerting the man of her presence. He looked up at her and gave off a short laugh. "What a surprise, the Professor sent one of his beloved X-Men."  
  
Jubilee stared at the young man across from her. There was something so familiar about this one, something she couldn't put her finger on quite yet. Then it hit her, "St. John?" The spark in those eyes, the fire that matched his talent was unmistakable. No wonder the armored car was burning at such a rapid pace.  
  
She watched as he cringed, as if the name truly hurt when he heard it. Jube could only assume that it had been awhile since he had heard the name. "Jubilee. Christ kid, get out of here."  
  
The kid line stung, and she wasn't exactly sure why. It could have been because she'd always wanted him to see her as more. "You can always come home you know. Hop in the car with Kitty and me-"  
  
"Are you crazy?" he asked her like she had truly lost any sense. "I betrayed the Professor and everyone else. And I don't believe in the message. God Jubes, they'll never accept us. Never," he finished, clearly referring to the countless humans in the world that  
  
"So what John? Maybe you're right, maybe they won't, but what are we supposed to do, become them?" Jubilee asked angrily, his outlook getting to her more now then she had ever thought possible. "That's what you are now John, one of them. So full of hate and anger and willing to destroy them because they're not like you and they don't like you. It's mutants like you that fuel their hate, just like it's people like them that fuel ours. Maybe I'm young and a bit naive, but at least I'm not one of them."  
  
"What do you have Jubilee, honestly what do you have?" he snarled the question at her, making her take a step backwards. "We're all outsiders, shunned by family, if we had one to begin with. There is nothing in this world for us because they won't let us have anything."  
  
"I have a family. I have friends, I have love, light, the truth. It may not sound like much to you, as you seem so keen to destroy everything around you. And what makes me furious with you is that you did have that once and you threw it all away. For what? Darkness, destruction, hatred; does that really keep you warm at night? Does it make you happy?"  
  
He made a sound of disgust and turned away. "I never expected anyone like you to understand."  
  
"Yeah well I never expected to love anyone like you so-" she cut herself off sharply with an inhale.  
  
He turned back to her and looked more like the John she'd known and less like the true Pyro he'd become. "What was that?"  
  
'God Jubes how could you be so stupid?' she shouted at herself mentally. 'That's over, done with. Was the day he didn't come back.' "Nothing, it was nothing."  
  
Apparently John wasn't about to take that for an answer. He stalked his way down the alley until he was right in front of her. "You said you love me." His voice trembled as he spoke and there was a haunting fear in his eyes.  
  
"Okay, so maybe I did once. Back when I was young and foolish and I thought I saw something brilliant in you. Maybe this darkness is your brilliance, but I never saw that. I always thought I saw light. But it may have been a fantasy of mine as making light is my talent."  
  
"And you never said anything."  
  
"You left. What did you want from me? I was fifteen."  
  
"Jubilee."  
  
This was all getting them no where. He was even more remote and unreachable now then he was all those years ago. She let out a weary sigh before lifting her eyes to his wild ones once more. "You know what John, just leave. Concede this one to and old friend."  
  
He looked at her curiously for several moments before finally taking off, leaving the burning car and the money, and her, behind. It was fortunate that he did because two seconds later Kitty phased through the wall of the building. "Hey Jubes, I didn't hear from you and so."  
  
Jubilee said, still staring at the wreckage before her. "It's alright."  
  
Kitty surveyed the damage for herself before turning back to Jubilee and shaking her a bit. "Where did the person who did this go?"  
  
Jubilee hesitated. Tell Kitty the truth, that Pyro had been there and caused this, or lie a bit and let it all go. "I don't know. Didn't get a real good look at the guy, he fled as soon as he saw me."  
  
Kitty gave off a shrug. "Well, we'll just consider this one a success huh?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
~*~  
  
"You know Jube you've been fingering the leather suit all day, it's the same as it always was." Kitty said from her place on her bed, breaking Jubilee out of her small revelry.  
  
Jube turned back to her friend and sent her an apologetic smile. "Sorry, just thinking. It's important you know," she said, gesturing towards the suit.  
  
"Of course it is. I'm not saying it isn't, I'm just saying it's going to be there until you chose to give it up. And if you do, you better have excellent reasons or I will hunt you down."  
  
"I have no intentions of giving it up. I just. I don't know. Do you ever feel like we're the patron saints of lost causes."  
  
"Patron saints, never in this lifetime, advocates for lost causes, I suppose. No cause is lost until you give up on it."  
  
Jubilee shot a look to the door, wondering if anything she'd said had gotten through to John. Most likely not, or else someone else would have been able to get through to him. Well, she could hold out the last bit of hope, couldn't she? Stay as naïve as he had said she was. "Maybe you're right."  
  
Kitty sent Jubilee a grin that couldn't be ignored. "Of course I am. Now are we going to go down and relax with everyone, or do you just want to stare longingly at your uniform, because it's really not _that_ sad."  
  
Jubilee glanced at the suit one last time and smiled. At least she was comfortable with her choice. "Come on. Lets go." 


End file.
